JP3907924B2 - In-vehicle audio navigation system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle audio navigation system, and more particularly to an in-vehicle audio navigation system that displays an audio screen and a navigation screen by switching between them on a single display device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, various electronic devices such as an AM / FM radio, a CD (Compact Disk) player, and a navigation device have been mounted on vehicles. Many of these electronic devices are unitized and can be connected to each other through a common signal line to construct an audio navigation system. In such an audio navigation system, each unit is centrally controlled by a device called a head unit. The head unit is provided with an operation unit for centrally managing the states of other units. Some head units incorporate a display device capable of displaying an image, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).
[0003]
The display device of the in-vehicle audio / navigation system displays, for example, the number of the track being played or the reception frequency when listening to a CD or radio, and the display is switched when approaching an intersection to be turned right or left. An arrow indicating the shape of the intersection and the direction of travel is displayed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional in-vehicle audio navigation system usually displays the track number, reception frequency, etc. when listening to a CD or radio, but the course should be changed (turn right or left). When approaching an intersection, the screen is switched to display an arrow indicating the shape of the intersection and the traveling direction. However, unless the vehicle approaches a certain distance from the intersection where the course is to be changed, it is not known in which direction the course is changed.
[0005]
For this reason, for example, when the user wants to know information such as the distance to the intersection where the course is to be changed next, whether it is better to travel in the right lane or the left lane, the head unit It is necessary to switch the display screen by operating.
As described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle audio navigation system in which the vehicle can change the course and the approximate distance to the intersection where the course changes without changing the display mode even when listening to audio. Is to provide.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above-described problems include a navigation unit that detects the current position of the vehicle and outputs a guidance information signal so that the vehicle travels along the recommended route, an audio unit that outputs an audio signal, and a display unit that can display an image. , A direction indication indicator, and a system control unit for controlling the navigation unit, the audio unit, the display unit, and the direction indication indicator, and the system control unit displays the state of the audio unit on the display unit However, the vehicle-mounted audio navigation system is characterized in that the direction to be changed next is displayed by the direction indication indicator in accordance with the guidance information signal from the navigation unit.
[0007]
The operation of the present invention will be described below.
In the audio navigation system of the present invention, in addition to a display unit capable of displaying an image, a direction indication indicator constituted by, for example, a pair of light emitting diodes is provided. Then, the system control unit displays the state of the audio unit (reception frequency in the case of an AM / FM tuner, track number being played in the case of a CD player, etc.), and in response to a signal from the navigation unit, The direction to be changed is displayed with a direction indicator. Accordingly, the user can determine whether it is better to travel in the right lane or the left lane without switching the display screen.
[0008]
In this case, it is preferable to change the driving pattern of the direction indicator according to the distance to the next intersection to be changed. For example, when there is a sufficient distance to the next intersection to be changed, the direction indicator is always lit, and when the distance to the next intersection to be changed is less than a certain value, the direction indicator blinks. The approximate distance to the next intersection where the course should be changed can be grasped.
[0009]
In addition, in-vehicle audio navigation systems are often provided with various indicators indicating the state of the audio unit in addition to the image display device, but these audio indicators and direction indication indicators may be combined. Thereby, the increase in the number of parts can be avoided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an audio navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a front panel of a head unit.
The in-vehicle audio / navigation system according to the present embodiment includes a head unit 10, a navigation unit 20, an AM / FM tuner unit 30, a CD player unit 31, an amplifier 32, and a speaker 33. Further, the head unit 10, the navigation unit 20, the AM / FM tuner unit 30, the CD player unit 31, and the amplifier 32 are connected to each other by a common signal line 40, and signals can be transmitted and received between these units. ing.
[0011]
The head unit 10 includes a system control unit 11, an operation key input control unit 12, an operation key 13, a remote control reception unit 14, an LCD display panel (display unit) 15, direction indication indicators 16 a and 16 b, and a communication control unit 17. ing. Further, on the front panel of the head unit 10, as shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the LCD display panel 15 and the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b, as operation keys 13, input source switching keys 51a to 51c, an extraction key 52, Equivalent to the conventional audio navigation system such as the stop key 53, the play key 54, the front track key 55, the rear track key 56, the jog dial 57 used for volume adjustment, the preset key 58 and the display switching key 59. The key is attached. In this embodiment, since the remote control receiver 14 is provided in the head unit 10, each unit may be operated by a remote control transmitter (not shown) instead of directly operating the operation key 13. it can.
[0012]
Furthermore, the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b, which are the features of the present embodiment, are constituted by a pair of triangular LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) and are arranged on both sides of the display panel 15, respectively. The operation of the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b will be described later.
The system control unit 11 is constituted by a microcomputer and executes processing according to a signal from the operation key input control unit 12. Then, signals are transmitted / received to / from the navigation unit 20, the tuner unit 30, the CD player unit 31, or the amplifier 32 via the communication control unit 17 according to the processing content.
[0013]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the navigation unit 20. The navigation unit 20 includes a navigation control unit 21, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) -ROM (or CD-ROM: hereinafter simply referred to as “DVD-ROM”) 22 containing a map database, and a GPS (Global Positioning System). A GPS receiver 23 that receives signals, a gyro that detects the rotation angle of the vehicle, a self-contained navigation sensor 24 that includes a travel distance sensor that detects the travel distance of the vehicle, and map data read from the DVD-ROM 22 are temporarily stored. A buffer memory 25 that stores data, a map drawing unit 26 that draws a map image or the like based on the map data read to the buffer memory 25, a communication control unit 27 that controls communication with other units, And a recommended route storage unit 28.
[0014]
The control unit 21 detects the current position of the vehicle based on the outputs of the GPS receiver 23 and the self-contained navigation sensor 24, reads map data around the current position of the vehicle from the DVD-ROM 22 to the buffer memory 25, and sets the destination. Then, the current position of the vehicle is used as a departure point, a recommended route from the departure point to the destination is searched, the searched recommended route is stored in the recommended route storage unit 28, or the vehicle travels along the recommended route. As described above, a guidance information signal (a direction indication indicator drive request signal, which will be described later, an image signal indicating a map around the vehicle and an intersection shape, or the like) is appropriately transmitted to the head unit 10 via the communication control unit 27.
[0015]
As a destination setting method, for example, a method of directly inputting latitude / longitude, a method of specifying from a facility name recorded in a map database or point information registered by a user, a display panel 15 of the head unit 10 There are various methods such as a method of displaying a map image and setting a point designated by the user as a destination. In addition, a known method such as a horizontal search method or a Dijkstra method is used for searching for a recommended route.
[0016]
Hereinafter, the operation of the in-vehicle audio navigation system of the present embodiment will be described. However, in this example, it is assumed that the recommended route to the destination is searched in advance by the navigation unit 20, and the recommended route data is stored in the recommended route storage unit 28.
4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the head unit 10, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the audio unit, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation unit 20.
[0017]
First, the operation of the audio unit (CD player unit 31 and tuner unit 30) will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S21, the CD player unit 31 notifies the head unit 10 of the state of the unit. That is, the CD player unit 31 notifies the head unit 10 of data such as a song name, a track number, and a performance time, whether or not the CD is being played. In step S22, it is determined whether or not to end the process. That is, when the power switch is turned off, the process is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to step S21 to notify the head unit 10 of the unit state.
[0018]
Similarly, in the case of the tuner unit 30, the head unit 10 is notified of data such as whether or not the broadcast is being received in step S21, and if it is being received, such as the reception frequency and the name of the reception broadcast station. In step S22, it is determined whether or not to end the process. That is, when the power switch is turned off, the process is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to step S21 to notify the head unit 10 of the unit state.
[0019]
Next, the operation of the navigation unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The navigation unit 20 constantly monitors the current position of the vehicle by signals from the GPS receiver 23 and the self-contained navigation sensor 24 when the power is on.
In step S31, the navigation unit 20 transmits a signal corresponding to the state of the unit (for example, the current position of the vehicle) to the head unit 10. Thereafter, in step S32, it is determined whether or not to end the process. That is, when the power switch is turned off, the process is terminated, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S33.
[0020]
In step S33, referring to the current position of the vehicle and the recommended route stored in the recommended route storage unit 28, the next intersection to be changed (hereinafter also referred to as a notable intersection) and the distance to the intersection are detected. To do. Then, the process proceeds to step S34, where it is determined whether to turn right or left. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, even if there are multiple roads on the right or left side, it is necessary to determine whether to turn right or left and not to determine which road to travel after turning right or left. Also good. Thereafter, the process returns to step S31, and signals such as a direction indication indicator drive request and an image display request are notified to the head unit 10 according to the detection result in step S33 and the determination result in step S34.
[0021]
For example, when the distance to the next intersection to be changed is 1 km or more, the navigation unit 20 notifies the head unit 10 of a signal for requesting lighting of both direction indicating indicators 16a and 16b. When the distance to the intersection of interest is 500 m to 1 km, a signal requesting lighting of only the direction indicator (16a or 16b) in the turning direction is notified. Further, when the distance to the attention intersection is 50 m to 500 m, a signal requesting blinking of the direction indicating indicator (16a or 16b) in the turning direction is notified. Then, when the distance to the intersection of interest is 200 m or less, the navigation unit 20 heads the image data such as an arrow indicating the shape of the intersection drawn on the image drawing unit 26 and the direction of bending, and a signal requesting to change the display mode. Transmit to unit 10. Further, when the distance to the intersection of interest is 0 m to 50 m, the head unit 10 is notified of a signal for requesting high-speed blinking of the direction indicator in the turning direction. As described above, the navigation unit 20 transmits a direction indication indicator drive request and image data to the head unit 10 according to the distance between the intersection of interest and the current position of the vehicle.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the head unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in step S11, the system control unit 11 of the head unit 10 detects the state of each unit based on a signal sent from each unit.
Then, it transfers to step S12 and it is determined whether a process is complete | finished. That is, when the power switch is turned off, or when neither the audio unit nor the navigation unit is in use, the process is terminated. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S13.
[0023]
In step S13, the display mode is determined according to the state of each unit. That is, when the navigation unit 20 is not used and the audio unit (tuner unit 30 or CD player unit 31) is used, the process proceeds to step S14 to enter the audio display mode. In this case, the display according to the signal sent from the audio unit is displayed on the display unit 15 of the head unit 10. For example, when listening to a CD, the song title, track number, and performance time are displayed. In this case, the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b are turned off. Then, it returns to step S11.
[0024]
When both the audio unit and the navigation unit are used and the display mode designated by the display mode switch 59 is the audio display mode (except when an image display request is issued from the navigation unit 20). Then, the process proceeds from step S13 to step S15 to enter the audio display mode. At this time, the head unit 10 displays, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 2 on the display unit 15 by a signal from the audio unit. This screen is a screen when the AM / FM tuner unit 30 is receiving radio, and displays a reception frequency, a reception broadcast station name, and the like. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S16, and the head unit 10 drives the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b in response to the direction indication indicator drive request sent from the navigation unit 20.
[0025]
For example, when a signal is output according to the distance from the navigation unit 20 to the target intersection as described above, the approximate distance to the target intersection and the direction in which the route should be changed are determined by the lighting patterns of the direction indication indicators 16a and 16. You can know. Then, it returns to step S11.
When no audio unit is used and the navigation unit 20 is used, both the audio unit and the navigation unit 20 are used, and the display mode specified by the display mode switch 59 is the navigation display mode. Alternatively, when a screen display request is issued from the navigation unit 20, the process proceeds from step S13 to step S17 to enter the navigation display mode. At this time, a map image as shown in FIG. 8 or an image signal sent from the navigation unit 20 is displayed on the display unit 15 of the head unit 10, or FIGS. 9A to 9C and FIGS. An image or the like showing the shape of the intersection as shown in (c) is displayed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S18, and the head unit 10 drives the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b in response to the direction indication indicator drive request sent from the navigation unit 20. Then, it returns to step S11.
[0026]
In the in-vehicle audio / navigation system according to the present embodiment, the head unit 10, the audio unit (tuner unit 30 and CD player unit 31), and the navigation unit 20 operate as described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the display section 15 of the unit 10 not only displays the reception frequency and the reception broadcast station name, but also the lighting patterns of the direction indicators 16a and 16b according to the distance to the next intersection to be changed. Change. Then, when approaching the intersection to some extent, a diagram showing the shape of the intersection and the traveling direction is displayed on the display panel 15. The screen displayed at this time shows the direction of travel after the course is changed, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C and FIGS. 10A to 10C, so the road as shown in FIG. Even if there are multiple roads on the right or left side of the road, there is no mistake in the roads. And if a vehicle passes an intersection, it will return to an audio display mode again.
[0027]
In the in-vehicle audio navigation system according to the present embodiment, as described above, the outline up to the next intersection where the course should be changed is determined by the lighting pattern of the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b provided on the front panel of the head unit 10. You can see at a glance the distance and direction to change course. For this reason, the user can determine whether it is better to travel in the right lane or the left lane before approaching the intersection where the course should be changed. Thereby, the effect that the safety | security at the time of vehicle driving improves further is acquired.
[0028]
In addition, it is preferable to control the lighting patterns of the indicators 16a and 16b according to the distance to the intersection where the course should be changed, the speed of the vehicle, and the type of road (type and width of national road, prefectural road, etc.). For example, when the road is wide or the vehicle speed is high, it is preferable to drive the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b earlier than the above-described example.
[0029]
When a multicolor LED is used, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the green light is always on when the distance to the next intersection to be changed is 500 m or more, and the yellow light is always on in the range of 300 to 500 m. Indicator 16a, 16b depending on the distance to the intersection where the course should be changed, such as constantly lighting red in the range of 100 to 300m, flashing red in the range of 50 to 100m, and rapidly flashing red when less than 50m. The lighting pattern may be changed.
[0030]
Furthermore, when there is no next intersection to be changed and the vehicle reaches very close to the destination, both indicators 16a and 16b may blink to notify that the destination has been reached.
(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the case where the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b are used only for the direction indication has been described. However, the direction indication indicators 16a and 16b may be used together with the audio indicator. For example, a cassette player unit may be provided with a tape running direction indicator that indicates the direction of the tape being played (forward direction or reverse direction). Such an audio indicator may also be used as a direction indicator. In this case, for example, an LED capable of emitting multicolor light is used, and when the cassette tape travel direction is indicated, the light is emitted in orange, and when the direction is indicated, light is emitted in green. It can be easily distinguished whether a direction is indicated or a direction indication is indicated.
[0031]
Further, for example, when a self-illuminating button is used for the preset key 58 as shown in FIG. 2, the preset key 58 may be sequentially turned on in accordance with the turning direction to indicate the next turning direction. For example, when turning to the right, a plurality of preset keys 58 arranged in the horizontal direction are lit in order from left to right, and when turning to the left, the plurality of preset keys 58 are lit in order from right to left.
[0032]
Further, as shown in FIG. 12A, in the case of a unit having the level meter LED 18 indicating the output level, the distance to the intersection to be changed by the lighting state of the level meter LED 18 may be indicated. . For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, when only the bottom LED is lit, the distance to the intersection to be changed is 200 m or more, and when the second LED from the bottom is also lit, the path is changed. The distance to the intersection to be reached is 100m to 200m, 75m to 100m when the third LED from the bottom is lit, 50m to 75m when the fourth LED from the bottom is also lit, the 5th LED from the bottom The number of LEDs to be lit may be changed depending on the distance to the intersection to be changed, such as 25 to 50 m when lit and 0 to 25 m when all LEDs are lit.
[0033]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the display unit 15 of the head unit 10 is an LCD has been described. However, the display unit 15 only needs to be able to display an arbitrary image or character using a plurality of pixels. For example, a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device can be used as the display unit 15.
In the above embodiment, the audio navigation system is configured as shown in FIG. 1, but the audio navigation system of the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. . The audio navigation system of the present invention only needs to include any one of audio units such as an AM / FM tuner, a CD player, an MD player, and a cassette player, a head unit, and a navigation unit. Further, the functions of any two or more of these units may be integrated into one unit. Conversely, the function of one unit may be divided into two or more units.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the audio navigation system of the present invention, the direction indication indicator is provided in addition to the display unit capable of displaying an image, and the navigation unit displays the state of the audio unit on the display unit. In response to this signal, the next direction to be changed is displayed with a direction indicator, so the user should drive in the right lane or switch the left lane without switching the display screen. You can judge whether it is good. As a result, it is possible to perform an operation with a margin, and an effect of further improving safety can be obtained.
[0035]
In addition, by changing the driving pattern of the direction indicator according to the distance to the next intersection to be changed, the state of the audio unit is displayed on the display unit, and the outline to the next intersection to be changed Can grasp the distance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an audio navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a front panel of the head unit.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation unit.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the head unit.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the audio unit.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation unit.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a determination of a right turn or a left turn.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a map image displayed on the display panel.
FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams showing the shape of the intersection displayed on the display panel and the traveling direction (in the case of a right turn).
FIGS. 10A to 10C are diagrams showing the shape of the intersection displayed on the display panel and the traveling direction (in the case of a left turn).
FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating an example of a driving pattern of a direction indicator.
FIG. 12 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating an example of a driving pattern of a direction indicator.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 ... head unit,
11 ... System control unit,
12 ... operation key input control unit,
13 ... operation keys,
14: Remote control receiver,
15 ... display part,
16a, 16b ... Direction indicator,
17: Communication control unit,
20 ... Navigation unit,
21 ... Navigation control unit,
22 ... DVD-ROM,
23 ... GPS receiver,
24 ... Self-contained navigation sensor,
25 ... buffer memory,
26: Image drawing unit,
27: Communication control unit,
28 ... recommended route storage unit,
30 ... AM / FM tuner unit,
31 ... CD player unit 32 ... amplifier,
33 ... Speaker.

Claims (7)

A navigation unit that detects a current position of the vehicle and outputs a guidance information signal so that the vehicle travels along the recommended route;
An audio section for outputting an audio signal;
A display unit capable of displaying an image;
A direction indicator,
A system control unit for controlling the navigation unit, the audio unit, the display unit, and the direction indicator,
The system control unit displays a direction to be changed next by the direction indication indicator according to the guidance information signal from the navigation unit while displaying the state of the audio unit on the display unit. In-vehicle audio navigation system.   The navigation unit outputs an image display request signal and an image signal to the system control unit when a distance to the next intersection to be changed is a predetermined value or less, and the system control unit outputs the image display request signal and the image signal. The in-vehicle audio / navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the screen of the display unit is switched in accordance with the image, and an image showing the shape of the intersection and the traveling direction is displayed.   The in-vehicle audio navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the system control unit changes a driving pattern of the direction indicator according to a distance to an intersection at which a next course change is to be made.   The in-vehicle audio navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the direction indication indicator is also used as an indicator indicating an operating state of the audio unit.   The in-vehicle audio navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the direction indication indicator includes a pair of light emitting diodes indicating a right direction and a left direction.   6. The in-vehicle audio navigation system according to claim 5, wherein the pair of light emitting diodes are arranged on both sides of the display unit.   The in-vehicle audio navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the display unit, the direction indication indicator, and the system control unit are housed in one unit.

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